Download CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION - SWITZERLAND

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION – ITALY
Main economic, land use and agricultural characteristics (2002 or latest available)
GDP per capita (USD)
Population density
Agriculture in GDP
192/km2 (2004)
20 731
3,4% (2004)
Agriculture in employment
5.2% (2004)
Source: OECD
Land use (2003)
000 hectares
% of total area
Total area
Forest area
Total agricultural area
Arable land
Grassland
30 134
6 856
15 462
7260
2470
100
23
51
27
15
Source: FAOSTAT – Agriculture Data, Forestry area from 1994
Italy geographic profile is mostly mountainous, with plains occupying less than one-quarter of the
territory. There are a wide variety of ecosystems and landscapes in Italy due to the variation in climate
from Mediterranean to Alpine and continental. Agriculture’s role in the economy is relatively small and
decreasing, but more important in some regions. Farming contributes just over 2% to GDP, but nearly 5%
to employment, although with marked regional differences rising in the South to over 4% of GDP and
nearly 10% of employment [1].
Horticultural and permanent crops play a dominant role in the farming sector. Horticultural crops,
including olive groves and grapes account for nearly 45% of total agricultural value, compared to 11% for
cereals and almost 35% for livestock [1]. Horticultural and permanent crop production dominates in the
South, with livestock and cereals are more prominent in the North. Less favourable areas (LFAs) altogether
represent 53.6% of the total agricultural area.
Main agricultural products and their contribution to agricultural production are as follows: fresh
vegetables (15%), fresh fruit (9%), wine (8,8%) milk (10%), cattle (8%), pigs (6%), wheat (5%), olive oil
(5%), maize (5%) and poultry (4%).
The average farm size in Italy is 6 ha. Most farm enterprises (95%) are run directly by the farmer.
Moreover, 81% of farms are run on family labour only while 10% has family labour as the main source of
manpower. The most common form of tenure of land is ownership (80%), while 16% is rented and 4% is
used free of charge. Farms operated by landowner prevail in the South while operations on rented land
occur mostly in the North-west.
Agricultural policies and support to agriculture
Italy is a founding member of the European Union (EU) and is thus embraced by the EU's Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is based on the following three principles: (i) a common market with
1
common prices; (ii) community preference, and (iii) common financing. Market price support, and area
and headage payments are the main policy instruments. The Agenda 2000 Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP) reform package provides the basic legislative framework governing agricultural policy for the
period 2000 – 06. This reform package entails a gradual reduction of administered prices for cereals, and
for beef and veal, which is partially compensated by direct payments. Market price support, where applied,
is provided through institutional prices, export subsidies, tariffs and tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) and is often
combined with production quotas or land set-aside. In 2004, farmers in Italy received total payments of
EUR 6.2 billion, of which 81% (EUR 5 billion) were financed from EU Funds (EAGGF).
The EU rural development regulation of Agenda 2000 or "second pillar" of the CAP includes
accompanying measures such as agri environmental measures, early retirement schemes, reforestation, and
payments to assist farmers in Least Favoured Areas (LFAs). These measures are co financed by EU
member States, which can draw from the list of available measures to design programmes that can be
tailored to the specific conditions facing their rural areas. Agri-environmental measures allow payments to
be made in return for agri environmental commitments entered into by farmers, which go beyond good
agricultural practice. Other measures such as farm investment, the installation of young farmers, training,
investment aid for processing and marketing facilities, additional assistance for forestry, promoting the
adaptation and development of rural areas, are also co-financed by EU member States.
Figure 1. Support to agriculture: European Union
(Percentage PSE, structure of the PSE)
%PSE
100%
100
2003p
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
0
1994
0%
1993
20
1992
20%
1991
40
1990
40%
1989
60
1988
60%
1987
80
1986
80%
Other
Payments based on historical entitlements
Payments based on area planted/animal numbers
Market Price Support, payments based on output and on input use
%PSE
Note : The Secretariat estimates of the level of support to agriculture (Producer support estimate – PSE) for the EU as
a whole and not for single EU member countries.
Source: OECD, PSE/CSE database 2005
2
Agri-environmental issues and policies
Environmental situation
Soil degradation is a major and widespread environmental problem. About 70% of all land is subject
to risk of accelerated soil erosion over 5 t/ha/year and about 12% is prone to high risk, over 10 t/ha/year.
While soil erosion risks are exacerbated by a combination of climate and steep topography, erosion has
also been aggravated by: the poor uptake of soil conservation practices, notably limited soil cover over the
whole year and less than 10% of arable land under conservation tillage [12]; monoculture cropping
systems; and uncultivated land, notably abandonment of cultivated mountain terraces. Soil compaction
risks have grown, mainly in Northern areas, such as the Po Valley, due to greater use of heavy farm
machinery in wet conditions. In the South about 5% of land is affected by desertification, including soil
salinisation, associated with expanding olive cultivation on fragile land, excessive use of groundwater for
their irrigation, and poor grove tillage practices. Linked to these soil degradation problems, there has been
a loss of soil organic matter (SOM), but an effort is being made to raise SOM levels, so as to improve soil
fertility and enhance soil carbon stocks to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Pressure from farming activities on water pollution have eased but remain a problem. Rivers in the
Po Valley are increasingly polluted by agriculture, especially from livestock farms, while in the South
excessive fertiliser use led to eutrophication of reservoirs for drinking water. Groundwater is the source of
nearly 85% of drinking water, but about 25% of groundwater supplies require treatment before it is fit for
drinking. Little progress has been made in reducing agricultural pollution of the Mediterranean Sea,
especially in the Northern Adriatic.
The reduction in agricultural nutrient surpluses has lowered water pollution pressure. But absolute
loadings of nutrients into water bodies remain high, contributing two-thirds of nitrates and one-third
phosphates into rivers, and a major but decreasing share of pollution of groundwater, while efficiency of
nutrient use is low. Much of the reduction in nutrient surpluses was related to declining livestock numbers
and low animal stocking densities compared to the EU-15 average, while restrictions on manure spreading
in the Po Valley have also had an impact. In addition, the volume of inorganic fertiliser use declined by
11%, although the use of sewage sludge has risen nearly 4 fold between 1995 and 2000. The decrease in
fertiliser use is partly due to the switch in area payments, plus an improvement in fertiliser use efficiency,
with crop production volume rising over this period by 5%. But nutrient surpluses vary considerably by
region with some Northern regions (Lombardy) having surpluses twelve times greater than in the South
(Basilicata)], reflecting the greater surpluses from livestock and maize production predominantly in the
North.
Policies applied
Italy has delegated most of the environmental responsibilities to regional and local authorities
although strategic planning remains at the national level. Agri-environmental schemes largely focus on
reduction of fertiliser and pesticide use and adoption of organic farming methods. Organic farming has
developed rapidly in Italy, especially in the southern regions and on the islands and now takes place on 7%
of agricultural land. Organic farming methods have contributed to the decline in agrochemical use.
Headage payments are granted to farmers who breed endangered species with 142 species (mostly cattle)
benefiting from such payments.
In 2002, the payments provided to farmers under the agri-environmental programmes were
EUR 607.4 million euros (around 10% of total payments to agriculture) and were co-financed by the EU at
an average rate of 59%. Total programmed expenditure on agri-environmental measures for the period
2000-2006 is EUR 3.8 billions, with an average co-financing rate of 59%, where about 65% of these
3
resources are for southern regions. Because of a very uneven participation of farmers in some programmes,
Regions have reduced the number of measures to be financed in the period 2000 – 2006 compared to the
period 1994-1999. They have also established stricter criteria to obtain the payments. The main measures
can be classified in low impact systems (integrated agriculture and organic agriculture), soil and water
conservation, extensive forage production, maintenance of biodiversity, and landscape conservation.
Key information sources
Ministry for Agricultural and Forestry Policies (only Italian) www.politicheagricole.it/sviluppo/
APAT (2004), Environmental Data Yearbook 2004, Agency for the Protection of the Environment and for
Technical Services (APAT), Rome, Italy
http://www.apat.gov.it/site/it-IT/APAT/Pubblicazioni/Stato_Ambiente/Annuario_Dati_Ambientali/
INEA (2004), Italian Agriculture in Figures 2004, Istituto Nazionale di Economia Agraria (INEA),
Ministry for Agricultural and Forestry Policies, Rome, Italy http://www.inea.it/pubbl/itaco_eng.cfm
INEA (2004), Le politiche agricole dell'Unione Eutropea. Rapporto 2002-2003 /(English) INEA - LG. Rome, Italy http://www.inea.it/pdf/rapporto2003-04/presenazione-indice.pdf (only Italian)
INEA (2005, "Le politiche comunitarie per lo sviluppo rurale" Un bilancio di metà percorso - Rapporto
2003-2004 http://www.inea.it/ops/pubblica/rapporti/rapporto2003-04/rapporto2004.cfm (only
Italian)
OECD (2002), Environmental Performance Review of Italy, Publication Service, Paris, France.
4